Please save my heart
by Locke1
Summary: When things starts to finally turn for the better in Izanami's life, a police investigation involving the Yakuza destroys her life again. At the same time the secret behind a disaster involving Ranma that occured to her family in Nerima is revealed to her
1. Chapter 1

Beep… Beep… Beep… Be-BAM!

A soft grown emitted from under the blanket covering someone, a slender arm extended from underneath the covers, a small looking hand covered the top of the electric alarm clock to the left of the bed on a night stand. Morning light filtered into the room through the window to the right of the bed. The person underneath the covers pushed herself up tiredly.

"Too early…"

The girl stared out of the window wearily staring at the birds chirping as they stand on the power lines that run over the streets. Rubbing her brown eyes of sleep, the girl stood herself up beside the bed, lazily scratching her head further messing up her already messy hair which flared out in every single direction, and stretched her left arm above her head while her right hand held on to her left elbow.

"I still can't believe I managed to get into Waseda University…" The girl scratched her head again, "Oh my GOD! I need to get ready and I haven't even taken a shower yet!" The girl looked at her clock and sighed, "Wait… I don't have classes till the afternoon."

Smiling cheerfully to herself and berating herself for her absentmindedness, the girl walked out of her room and headed right into the bathroom closing the door behind her.

"Izanami! Are you awake yet Izanami?"

The girl poked her head out from the bathroom, "I'm awake father! Just taking a quick shower!"

"Well, don't take too long, or else you'll have to ride your bicycle to school!"

The girl huffed and quickly closed the door behind her. "Well, it's better to be bored than it is to be tired." Izanami grinned to herself before taking off her pajama top.

* * *

A Ranma fic without any Ranma ½ characters in the intro by me…

**Please save my heart from darkness**

Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma ½ or any of it's characters or concepts or... whatever, but all original characters I own and if they in any way resemble any other character... well... screw them, not my fault!

* * *

Izanami stared out the window of the car as the buildings of Shinjuku whizzed by, "Father…"

"Yes?"

"Are you going to eat dinner with me tonight?"

A sad sigh sounded, "I'm sorry, the paper work I'm getting these days are overwhelming, I didn't get home last night till three…"

The girl shook her head, "It's ok, not like I can't take care of myself."

Izanami's father smiled, "I know, why don't we go out for dinner on Sunday, we still haven't celebrated you getting into Waseda U."

Izanami blushed, "I'd like that…"

"Well don't embarrass yourself too much." Her father said jokingly as he pulled his car into the University parking lot.

"DAD!" Izanami pouted and pushed open the car door roughly before putting on a teasing smile, "I'm more worried about you. After all, you're at the age where you start forgetting things."

Her father gave her a wiry look, "You behave yourself."

"Yes father…" The girl said rolling her eyes.

The father chuckled and watched his daughter walk towards the University, taking everything in.

Before tripping and landing on her face.

The father was about to walk out of the car to help her daughter but a young man, with a pigtailed hair style, wearing a pair of blue jeans and a white shirt, was already beside her helping her up.

"Looks like he's here too…" The father whispered to himself, "Best I don't show myself…"

* * *

Izanami blushed furiously as she pushed herself into a sitting position while clutching her nose, "That was SO embarrassing…"

"Hey…"

Izanami looked up and saw a guy extending his hand towards her. Taking his offered hand, Izanami let herself be pulled up by the man, "Thank you."

The man picked up her bag and handed it to her before turning away dismissively, "Just watch your step the next time you walk."

The girl watched as the man walk off slinging his pack over his shoulder, "That was weird…"

"You said it…"

Izanami jumped in fright and turned around, "Who are you!"

A guy wearing a plain grey shirt and khaki pants grinned, "Asai Kano, just call me Kano though, I hate formalities."

"Watanabe Izanami" Izanami said bowing slightly, "But what where you saying about…"

Kano nodded, "Yeah, that was weird…"

"What do you mean, Kano-san?"

Kano sighed, "Well, let's just say that Saotome-san over there doesn't usually gives a rat's ass about anything, period. I'm surprised he even talked to you."

Izanami blushed, "Well, I guess he's just being nice, I mean, wouldn't you help someone if they tripped?"

"Watanabe-san…"

"Just Izanami is fine."

"Right… Izanami, that guy wouldn't be nice even if he was suddenly possessed by a spirit of unusual niceness." Kano said before blushing, "That was stupid wasn't it?"

"That was…" Izanami giggled.

"I've never seen you around, are you new?" Kano asked curiously.

"Actually, I am. I just got in for the art's program." Izanami said

"Hmm, you want me to show you around? I don't have any classes until three o'clock." Kano said with a sigh, "Why do I even bother coming so early…"

"Well I don't have classes until one o'clock," Izanami said, "I wanted to look around the campus so I can get used to this. It's so much bigger than my senior high school."

"I sure hope so. If this is smaller than your senior high school, I'll be scared." Kano said jokingly, "Well if you just follow me, I'll give you the grand tour of Waseda University."

Izanami suppressed her mirth as Kano proceeds to lead her into the University and at the same time complaining about the school.

* * *

"So you're in the Art's program?" Kano took a bit out of his sandwich as himself and Izanami sat within a small café near the University, "You look more of a sporty type than the artsy type."

"I do?" Izanami said tilted her head to one side before answering, "Well, I use to do quite a bit of Kempo before I moved to Shinjuku with my father when he was transferred to the police department here."

"Kempo huh?" Kano said looking at the girl in front of him more intently, "Nope, still look like the sporty type, not the fighting type either, and definitely not the artsy type."

"What's that suppose to mean." Izanami said frowning slightly, "Are you saying I don't look like I can draw?"

Kano shook his head quickly and waved his hand in front of him defensively, "No no! Nothing like that! It's just that you have this active sporty look to you."

"Really?" Izanami blinked and took a sip out of her glass of juice, "I guess I was quite active when I was younger, but I enjoy painting and drawing more now."

"Can I see some of your work?" Kano asked eagerly and pointed to his companion's bag.

"Umm… I guess so." Izanami put down her cup and rummaged through her bag.

Kano watched in amusement as the girl frantically searched her bag for her drawing book, "Found it?"

Izanami looked up and gave Kano a hopeless look, "I forgot I put it in my other bag… And I have Art for my first class too!"

Kano sweatdropped, "There's an art store nearby, can't you buy your stuff from there?"

The girl shook her head in defeat, "I like using a certain type of paper, and they only sell those in a small shop in Nerima, that or I'll need to order some straight from the source…"

"I take back everything I've said… you ARE the artsy type." Kano said shaking his head, "Only artists can be picky about paper and pencils that they use."

Izanami glared at her companion, "I am not picky; I just have preferences."

"Right…"

"But seriously, I can't go back home and pick up my book now." Izanami groaned, "I didn't even begin my day in University and I'm already screwing up."

Kano chuckled, "I think we all felt like that when we first came here."

"Doesn't make me feel better…"

Izanami laid her head on her arms and sighed, "Geez… how am I supposed to take my art course now…"

A light tap on top of Izanami's head made her sat straight up and look side to side for the source. Kano stared with his mouth open as Izanami turned towards the source of the tap.

"This the book ya want?"

Izanami blushed and stared at the man that helped her up this morning. His hair, tied into a pigtail, laid on his shoulder. He wore his white dress shirt unbuttoned with a black muscle shirt underneath, tucked into his blue jeans.

"So?"

The girl quickly took the book from the man's hands and opened it, "yes…"

"Take it, don't need it, brought an extra by mistake."

"T-thank you… umm…"

The man flicked his pigtail from his shoulder casually and walked away, ignoring the thank you.

"I DO believe Saotome-san has finally snapped. That or he is trying to be less of an asshole." Kana said wiry

"He's not THAT bad is he?" Izanami said with a slight blush on her cheek while holding the sketch book she got, extremely bewildered.

"Trust me, if the rumors are true, you don't even want to talk to him." Kano said seriously.

"Rumors?"

Kano nodded, "Yeah, you know what happened in Nerima three years ago right; the one where some psycho killed his own fiancée and her family?"

Izanami nodded slowly, "My mother was… put into a coma because of that…"

"I'm… sorry…"

The girl shook her head, "It's ok, father and I are coping, but the doctors still don't know when she'll wake up."

"Yeah well… rumor has it that Saotome-san was involved in that somehow. Don't know the details, but people around says that he's somehow linked to the killer or something." Kano whispered.

Izanami gasped, "Are you sure?"

"Well, they're just rumors…"

The girl nodded and made a quick glace at the clock, "Wow, twelve forty-five already…"

Izanami did a double take, "TWELVE FORTY-FIVE! I'm going to be LATE!"

Kano blinked and watched the girl jump up from her seat.

"I'm sorry Kano-san, can you pay for my lunch, I promise I'll pay you back, thanks bye!"

A chuckle escaped Kano's mouth. "Man, I'm not dating her and I STILL need to pay for her lunch. I am serious; my luck with women is the worst…"

* * *

Izanami walked into her first class timidly scanning the classroom. Few people are scattered across the room, but mostly avoiding the center section of the room. Izanami raised an eyebrow at the peculiar seating pattern and took a random seat near the front towards the center.

Whispers echoed through the room making the girl wonder if she has made an error in choosing the seat. After a few minutes, Izanami was about to leave her seat due to the uncomfortable whispers, but the door opening once again interrupted her.

The man with the pigtail walked into the art room and walked straight towards her.

"Hey."

Izanami blushed, "Umm… hi?"

"I usually sit here, so can you not take that spot the next day?"

"Umm… I'll move, it's ok." The girl blushed bright red and started to move her utensils and sketch book but the pig tailed man placed his arm on her shoulder, stopping her.

"It's ok, no need for you to move, just saying, I'll just sit here today." He said taking the seat right beside Izanami.

Meekly nodding her head apologetically, Izanami faced the front of the room. Whispers once again broke out, but are quickly stopped as the professor walked into the room.

"Welcome to the Class, I hope you are all in the correct classroom so please check your schedules again to make sure…"

* * *

Izanami sighed for the umpteenth time, "That was so embarrassing…"

"What so embarrassing?"

Izanami jumped and turned around, "Oh hi Kano."

"Hello to you too." Kano greeted back with a grin, "So what happened?"

Izanami sighed once again, "I was in the same class as Saotome-san."

Kano nodded, "So?"

"I sat in his spot…"

"You know, when people avoid a certain part of the room like a plague when you walk into the room, you usually don't want to sit at that particular spot." Kano said logically and shook his head, "What on earth made you sit in the middle of a ring of other students?"

"Hey! How did you know?"

"It's the same with all the other classes he has for the past two years that I've been in the University." Kano said with a shrug.

"I don't know, it was close to the front, thought I'd sit closer so I could hear the teacher." Izanami said with a blush, "Didn't know HE would be there. Anyways, how would anyone know where Saotome would be anyways."

Kano chuckled, "That's a funny story actually, a bunch of programmers actually hack into the school schedule data base every year and post on a website where and when anyone goes to class, just need to e-mail them."

"Isn't that… illegal?"

"Yeah, but they aren't caught yet, so it doesn't matter."

"Have I mentioned that my dad is a police chief?"

Kano blinked, "Right… forget what I just said…"

Izanami giggled, "Right, right."

* * *

Izanami sighed out loud as she walked through a park. The sun is setting slowly, colouring the sky with a light orange color, but no one notices this as the buildings all around them hide the scene; that is, no one notices this but one man as he sat on a bench on the side of the path Izanami is walking on.

The girl stared at the man staring up at the sky and noticed his pigtail swaying lightly against the wind. _It's that Saotome person…_

As if picking up on the girl's thoughts, the man looked down and stared right into the girl's eyes.

"Umm… hi…"

The man ignored the greeting and stared back up into the orange sky.

Izanami frowned and sat herself down beside the man, "You know, it's rude to ignore someone when they say hi."

"So?"

Izanami blinked, "So? Aren't you going to apologize?"

The man snorted, "Look, why are you even sitting beside me? Isn't it considered impolite to butt in on someone like this without consent?"

"Look, I just want to thank you for everything today." Izanami said with a blush on her face.

"Don't worry about it Watanabe-san." The man said casually and stood up, "You should head back home, your father would be worried."

"H-how did you know my name."

"I know of you, mostly through your father." The man replied.

"Well, shouldn't you introduce yourself then? I mean, it's only polite."

The man shook his head in amusement, "You know, you're the only person who ever manage to talk to me for this long without blowing up on me somehow."

"Fine, if you don't-"

"Saotome, Saotome Ranma…" The man said suddenly and walked away.

"…"

* * *

"Ah, so you've met Ranma…" The police chief said as he ate a bowl of noodle in the living room. It's late at night already, and Izanami has waited for her father to come home to cook the bowl of noodle for him.

Izanami frowned at her father, "If you spill any soup on the living room, I'm not cleaning it up dad!"

A dismissive wave answered her, "Don't worry, I won't spill any."

"He was very rude…" Izanami said, a bit angrily.

"He's had a hard life." Her father replied.

"That's no excuse."

The elder Watanabe stopped eating and placed his chopsticks down on top of the bowl and sighed, "It is for him… he's not that bad a guy, he's just been in situations he couldn't control and not in his favor."

Izanami blinked at the cryptic answer, "So how did you get to know him? He doesn't look like he would hang out with an old man like you dad."

The elder Watanabe gave his daughter a dry look, "I'm not THAT old."

"Hey, I'm nineteen; you don't get to be young anymore. Plus, I don't think there's ever a police chief that's young" Izanami replied teasingly, "I'm going to bed dad, see you in the morning."

"Good night." Watching his daughter walk into her room, he closed his eyes and laid on the sofa, ignoring his bowl of noodles, "Saotome Ranma… you still blame yourself don't you…"

* * *

Izanami sighed as the end of the day comes, "That was SO boring."

The young women just left her class and met up with Kano who was lazing around the campus, waiting for his night class to start. The old boy pointed at the Japanese Literature text book and grinned, "You should've asked around about courses before you take them, five out of six profs teaching that course are slave drivers and the last one is insane."

Izanami sighed again, "Let me guess, you took this course before?"

Kano nodded, "Yep, dropped it on the second week."

"That is SUCH a waste of money." Izanami replied rolling her eyes.

"It's ok, I get scholarships to pay for it." Kano said casually and waved his hand dismissively.

"YOU scholarships?" The young women gave her companion a skeptical look, "Right..."

"Hey hey! You're talking to the top swimmer of the Waseda University you know!" Kano replied arrogantly, "You don't reach the top without getting SOME money!"

"So you're the fastest swimmer in the university?" Izanami stared at Kano dumbly, "You really don't look it."

"Well..." Kano's voice dropped to a small whisper, "Honestly... there's someone faster taking courses here, but for some reason he's not in the swim team. I guess I'm just lucky he isn't IN the team."

"Who?"

Kano looked around and pointed towards the exit of the university, "Who do you think?"

Izanami blinked and looked towards where Kano's finger led.

"Saotome, Ranma..."

* * *

Izanami sighed as she slowly walked back to her home. The day hasn't been nice to her. Already, her Japanese class has thrown a deluge of assignments at her and she still needs to cook dinner for herself. Her father won't be eating at home once again as his department is working on a certain case right now. Izanami has learnt long ago never to ask her father about the cases he works on, usually the elder Watanabe would just ignore the inquiry; but one time, he did answer and Izanami didn't dare to walk on the streets even with friends for a whole week after that.

The young women sighed again as her thoughts trailed back to the assignments she has to do due in a week, "Geez, I really am not fit to go to-"

A rough hand shot out from behind her and covered her mouth dragging her into a dark alleyway. Izanami opened her mouth to scream but her voice is muffled by the offending hand.

"Heh, quite a looker this time. Not like the last time."

Izanami's eyes widen in fear at the words. Once again, she tries to scream out loud, hoping someone will hear her.

"If you keep trying to scream like that, we'll have to knock you out lil' girl."

She tried to turn around to look at her captors, but she found herself pushed right against a wall of a building, "We can't have you looking at us now."

A rough piece of cloth is wrapped around her eyes, blinding her. Realizing her captor isn't covering her mouth anymore, Izanami cried out once again in hopes of rescue.

Sharp pain erupted from her cheek as her captors slapped her, "Did you forget my warning already bitch? I told you to shut up!"

Another piece of cloth is tied over her mouth, gagging her, "Heh, easiest money I've ever made."

Izanami felt tears forming in her eyes as her captors quickly tied her up.

"Don't you people know kidnapping went out of style ages ago?"

Still blinded and unable to speak Izanami curled up and huddled against a wall, trying to make herself as small as possible. Sound of violence surrounded her mixed with screams of pain. With every sound of fist meeting flesh, the girl winced praying that whoever won the fight would let her go.

Seemed like an eternity to Izanami since the fight began, but with a final meaty thud, everything became quiet. Footsteps sounded and grew louder with ever step. Izanami knew someone is coming.

She shivered.

Without warning, her blindfold and makeshift gag is removed.

"Don't worry, I'll get you home."

With that, Izanami fainted from fear and exhaustion only catching a glimpse of the blue eyes of her rescuer.

* * *

"...case are you on now?"

"I have to continue with this. This is the biggest case since... since... EVER! If this case goes through, a whole section of the Yakuza can be brought down and the big guys can't do anything about it."

"I suggest you stop while you're ahead Watanabe-dono."

"Saotome-kun, I'm already in too deep... it's my duty to end this now."

Izanami blinked owlishly and looked around.

"Iza-chan!"

The young women found herself being hugged tightly by her father, "Dad?"

"Thank god you're okay."

"Watanabe-dono, I'll be leaving now."

Izanami turned her head to find Ranma walking towards the door, "Wait!"

Ranma stopped and turned around to face Izanami, "Yeah?"

"Thank you..."

Ranma sighed, "Just doing what I have to do. Be careful, ask Kano to walk you home, I can't always be there to save you."

The pig-tailed man once again turned towards the door but is stopped by the elder Watanabe this time, "Saotome-kun!"

"I can't do what you ask Watanabe-dono, it's been too long." With that, Ranma exited the house leaving the father and daughter.

"What did you ask Saotome-san to do father?"

The police chief sighed and wrapped his arm around his daughter's shoulders protectively, "Saotome-kun is a very formidable martial artist, I have met him a few times when I was still working in Nerima."

Izanami nodded, trying to remember if she has seen him before.

"Right now, I'm working on a case..."

"Yakuza..." Izanami muttered, shivering slightly.

"Yes, the case is very delicate." Izanami's father sighed and strengthened his hug, "I guess he's been out of practice, I guess that make sense..."

"out of practice?"

"Yes, I was planning to ask him to be your bodyguard."

Izanami stiffened, "b-Bodyguard?" Implications of actually needing a bodyguard injected fear into the girl. Her body starts shaking violently as the memories of the attempted kidnapping of her flash through her mind.

"I'm sorry, we dug too deep. I thought it was only something small, but we dug too deep and now, all of us can't get back out."

"Oh god..."

The peaceful, cloudless night sky, decorated by the bright moon, covered the city filled with neon lights of Shinjuku. Before the month's end, something will happen in this busy city that would change many lives. At this time, not knowing what is to come, Izanami can only find comfort in her father as dark times loom over her family.

* * *

I have no idea what to make of this. When I first wrote this, I seemed really interesting, but as I wrote on, it seems more boring than I initially thought. Perhaps it's cause the plot haven't been developed enough yet, not enough action or drama or what not.

Another side project... crap, I need to concentrate... Anyways, I actually had to re-work the second act of Destiny of the Magi and wrote this to pass some time while I figure out what the hell I was thinking when I planned the second act. I figured I should post something to show people that I'm still well and alive (Even if some of you probably wants me to stop writing haha).

The kidnapping scene... I really had trouble conveying the feelings of terror. I'm bad at doing that I guess, I should stick with angst and drama huh? My hope is to learn how to write scenes like that a bit better, it'll make me more versatile I think... I think I did pretty good right up til the end where, I think, I was a bit out of my element. I'd love any suggestions and comments about the last parts for improvement.

Well, I estimate this to be around 5 chapters so plot should pick up very quickly and hopefully I'll have Destiny of the Magi sorted out before I manage to finish writing this fic...

Theres always hoping...

Well, comments? Suggestions? Flames? Death threats? All accepted! Just use the nifty comment thingy button down there and type away!


	2. Chapter 2

Morning came once again.

Birds chirped merrily, not minding anything around them as an airplane passed overhead. A sun beam extended from the window of Izanami's room and onto her face making the sleeping girl turn to the side. The warmth of the sun made the girl sigh comfortably. The alarm clock on the night stand showed it to be almost noon.

Since it is Friday and her school schedule didn't present her with any classes, Izanami decided to try sleeping in. Usually, by seven, she would have woken up already out of habit and go out for a jog or perhaps go to a local park to take in the scenery hoping to get new inspiration for a new sketch.

But today, she's sleeping in...

Warmth. It told her she was safe. Not like the cold feeling of the cement wall or the coldness of the voices of her kidnappers yesterday, or the cold sensation that shot through her heart as her would be kidnappers tied her limbs together.

Izanami sat up and sighed in frustration, "Can't I even sleep in without remembering that..."

Walking into the living room in a drowsy daze, the young women flopped down on the sofa and grabbed the television remote from the table top. The screen flickered on and Izanami grabbed a bag of chips laying nearby the sofa, "Dad's been eating a lot of chips nowadays, must be the stress again."

Izanami smiled wiry at that. Whenever her father is working on a particularly big case, he would start eating loads of junk food. Right now, the girl is just thankful she doesn't need to walk to the kitchen to grab something to eat. Glancing at the clock on the wall over the television reminded Izanami that lunch time is near. With a groan, she decided to make a proper lunch since it's so close to lunch time and stood up and shuffled herself to the kitchen.

The television continued to babble on as Izanami grabbed some left over meat from the fridge and a package of instant noodles. After filling up cooking pot with water, Izanami turned on the electric stove and placed the pot of water on top of it and quickly put the plate of left over meat into the microwave.

"...shocking news today, this morning, the whole Sanada family was found brutally murdered. The father of the family, Jirou Sanada, an investigator of the Shinjuku district police was found first this morning in front of his own home, shot through the head and stabbed by a sharp instrument. Police has refused to make any comments on this horrific event except that they are already investigating this death..."

Izanami stared at the pot of water cooking the dried up square of instant noodles not moving a muscle. She suddenly slumped onto the ground and starts to shiver violently. The beeping of the microwave only made the young women shake even more.

* * *

And you thought I couldn't grind out another chapter... 

**Please save my heart from darkness

* * *

**

"Izanami! Open up!"

"Coming!"

Izanami hid her anxieties behind a grinned as she recognized the voice coming from outside her door. Her two friends from high school that she met after moving to Shinjuku are easily recognizable in the young women's opinion. Jun, a music major now according to their last chat over the phone, can be identified as obsessed with her singing. Whenever she talks, she adds a hint of opera to her accent, European opera. It was quite funny in Izanami's opinion.

Then there was Miki, the girl who screamed for Izanami to open up. Just by listening to her voice, one would think that she's still in her teens, but, of the three girls, Miki is actually the tallest of the three and also, even if Izanami won't admit it out loud, usually the most mature of the three.

"About time Iza-chan." Jun said, a bit annoyed to have to wait, "I was about to just leave and go shopping with Miki without you."

Miki gave a sheepish grin, "There's this REALLY cute shirt I want to look at..."

Izanami rolled her eyes, Miki always DID have a weakness for shirts with cute patterns or prints on them, "Let me just get my purse! It's like only couple of minutes of walking to get to the stores from here you know."

The two visiting girls grinned, "Exactly, that's why we can't wait!"

* * *

Izanami smiled brightly as she and her two friends from high school walked down the street. Stores for almost everything surrounded them as they chatted about everything and nothing. The crowds of people around them seem to buzz with idle chatter along with them giving the street more life to what it carried already. 

"OH! Look at that teddy bear!"

Izanami found herself rolling her eyes as Miki once again found something cute, "I'm pretty sure your wallet will thank you if you stop buying stuff like that Miki-chan."

Jun shook her head, "No helping it Iza-chan, doesn't help that she's rich, well for the moment anyways..."

Izanami giggled softly as she watched her friend fret over which teddy bear is cuter, "Of course she HAS to win that lottery; must have done something REALLY good her last life or something."

"If Karma is the reason she's so lucky, I'd start donating money left and right." Jun scoffed and flicked her hair from her shoulder, "Geez, I think we SHOULD stop Miki before she buys the whole store for herself."

Following her friend towards the store, Izanami giggled softly all the way and eyed a couple of key chains at the front of the store, "Well, you have to admit, the stuff in here IS quite cute."

"Cute... right." Jun replied, "MIKI! Come on! I want to check out that new café!"

Miki nodded and grabbed both of the teddy bears she was looking at and walked quickly to the counter.

"Well, at least she didn't buy the whole store." Izanami said as she shook her head in disbelieve.

"Why do I even try anymore..." Jun whispered exasperated.

* * *

"Wow, this place looks fancy!" Miki said quietly as the trio of girls sat down by a table near the window of the store, "I heard this is actually a new branch of a store they have in the district next to Shinjuku." 

Jun nodded, "Yeah, I've been to that before, that's why I wanted to come here. I heard that the really hot guy working over there moved to work here 'cause its closer to his school or something."

"Isn't Waseda the only University in Shinjuku?" Izanami said with a tint of red lighting up her face.

"There are other schools in Shinjuku, and who said he's going to University? Maybe he's going to a technical school," Miki replied with a grin, "Or is that wishful thinking I'm hearing Iza-chan?"

"Umm... that's besides the point!" Izanami said quickly, "So have you seen that guy before Jun?"

The singer in training pouted, "No, that's why I'm coming here today!"

"Well, we have to buy something to drink, or else we'll get kicked out." Miki said standing up, "I'm going to see if he's working at the counter!"

The three girls giggled in unison as they got up and walked towards the counter to order their drinks. There was no line up at the counter; the new opening craze was over for a while already since the three girls have come quite a few weeks after opening, still new, but not new enough to attract as much people. The counter is empty as the three girls approached. A sign sat on the counter right beside a bell that told customers to ring the bell to get service.

Jun shrugged and tapped on the button of the bell two times.

"I'll be right there!"

Jun and Miki grinned as a masculine voice answered the ring of the bell. Izanami frowned at the voice, "hmm, seems familiar..."

"What was that Iza-chan?" Miki asked, cutting her and Jun's ecstatic giggles.

"Oh nothing..." Izanami replied and looked behind the counter.

"Watanabe-san?"

Izanami blinked and gasped, "Saotome-san! You work here?"

Ranma scratched the back of his neck, "A guy's gotta make a livin'."

"You know him!" Jun hissed and nudged Izanami with her elbow, "You KNOW that hottie and didn't tell US!"

Miki didn't voice her disapproval but merely gave Izanami a cold glare.

The target of the two girls shrugged helplessly, "Umm, Saotome-san, these are my two friends, Kuroujuu Jun, and Akahi Miki."

The two girls waved informally at Ranma who nodded back, "I'm Tendo Ranma... well, I usually go by Saotome Ranma, but, nice to meet you."

"Tendo Ranma? How can you change your family name?" Jun blurted out.

"JUN!" Miki glared at her friend, "Sorry about that erm... Tendo-san?"

Ranma chuckled, "It's ok, most people that found out are quite surprised most of the time, but I prefer Saotome, still not used to being called Tendo."

"Does my father know about that Saotome-san?" Izanami asked curiously.

Ranma unconsciously rubbed his hands and smiled faintly, "Of course, it's actually your father's idea that I change my name, it's kept me out of trouble."

"Oi! Quit flirting Tendo and take their order!"

The three girls blushed at, "Umm, sorry about that Saotome-san."

Ranma shook his head, "Don't worry 'bout it, my boss is always like that. So what can I get for you girls today?"

* * *

Izanami and Miki giggled as they walked down the busy streets of Shinjuku once again, this time, heading towards the train station, "I can't believe you're really going to school with him! And in the same class too! What are the chances?" 

Izanami smiled, "Well, he has this really odd reputation in Waseda though. It's like everyone avoids him for some reason. There's also some really odd rumors about him floating around."

Jun frowned, "Well it doesn't really matter anyways, he's taken already..."

Miki gasped, "How did you figure THAT out?"

"I saw a wedding ring on his finger." Jun said with a shrug and sighed, "And here I thought I'd find prince charming today, turns out he's someone else's."

"Oh woe is me?" Izanami said with a giggle.

"HEY! I'm not an actor! I'm an opera singer!" Jun retorted.

"Opera... Shakespeare, pish posh, same thing..." Miki said dismissively and quickly hugged her bags of goods she bought today, "Well at least this day wasn't TOTALLY unproductive."

"You call buying stuffed animals and shirts you'll probably never wear productive?" Jun grinned at her friend, "You worry me Miki."

"Well a girl has to have her hobbies." Miki replied with a smile.

"Well here's the train station." Izanami pointed to the station, interrupting the friendly banter.

"I guess we'll see you next week?" Jun asked with a smile.

"Yup!"

"Be careful walking home." Miki said seriously.

Izanami felt her smile falter, "Y-yeah, I will."

As she watched her friends walking the terror that griped her in the afternoon returned once again. Izanami sucked in a deep breath and quickly headed towards her home.

* * *

The city is still illuminated by the setting sun. Cars horned at each other as waves of people walked alongside each other in a state of mental detachment across the street to go back home. Yet Izanami couldn't reach the same state that she enters every time she walks in the busy street of Shinjuku. 

The scene of her attempt kidnapping flashed through her mind over and over again.

"You're scaring yourself too much Iza-chan" Izanami thought to herself, smiling inwardly at her own paranoia, "It's not like someone will kidnap me in the middle of the whole crowd right?"

Reassured once again of her relative safety within the sea of people, Izanami slowed her stride and walked in a relaxed pace towards her home.

"It has to be a coincidence, the news this afternoon," Izanami continued to think to herself as she walked down the street, "Yeah, nothing's going to happen. The news this afternoon is just a coincidence."

Izanami found the crowd that she was in slowly thinning as she is closer towards her home. People turning to different streets, entering stores or perhaps their own apartments; the crowd that surrounded her earlier is no longer there leaving just a few unfamiliar figure walking long distances apart from each other.

A hand tapped her shoulder.

Izanami screamed and turned around.

"You're jumpy tonight Izanami..."

The girl sighed at the sight of Kano wearing track pants and a loose fitting t-shirt, "Sorry, I guess I had a bit too much coffee this afternoon. So what are you doing walking around here Kano?"

The swimmer grinned, "Oh nothing, just taking a jog. I've gotta keep in shape for the next swimming competition somehow."

"There's a swimming competition coming up?"

Kano shrugged and walked along side Izanami, "Well not til spring actually. There is one during winter, but well, no one likes swimming during winter."

Izanami gave her friend an odd stare, "Aren't you suppose to enter all the competitions?"

Kano shook his head, "Naw, our team actually needs quite a bit of practicing before entering. Most of our veterans are scouted and went elsewhere so all we have is me and two others that have actually competed. Basically all of the members in our team are all new members."

"So you normally do compete in those right?"

"Naw. There were plenty of seniors that were in the team last year that I didn't need to enter."

"Aren't you the top swimmer in the team?" Izanami gave Kano a skeptical look.

"Yep, but the couch knows I don't like swimming during the winter, so he gives me some slack." Kano answered, "Speaking of slack, aren't you supposed to be studying or something?"

Izanami gave Kano a glare, "I don't want to think about that."

"You know you'll have to sometime, and it's better to study early than wait til it's too late." Kano supplied flippantly.

"Oh like you study ahead of time." Izanami scoffed.

"Believe it or not, I do." Kano sniffed arrogantly.

"Right..." The girl rolled her eyes.

"HEY! I saw that!"

Izanami giggled, "I'm close to my home, I guess I'll see you around?"

Kano nodded, "Yep."

Izanami waved at her friend and made a turn and jogged slightly towards her home. In no time, she reached her door and quickly yanked it open after unlocking it and practically fell through the doorway.

"Home..."

* * *

The next day came and gone by, Izanami sighed as she left the lecture hall of her last class of the day. It is four in the afternoon, and the sky is already tinted orange by the setting sun. 

"Now, just need to get home..."

Without further thought, the young women exited the campus and started her walk towards her own home. Fear still echoed in her mind as she walked down the street. What would happen if someone tried to kidnap her again? Would someone save her again? Would Saotome-san be there? What would my father do?

"Watanabe-san!"

Izanami stopped and turned around at Ranma's voice, "Saotome-san, Why are you here?"

"I need to talk to your father, so I figured I might as well walk with you." Ranma replied curtly and walked up beside Izanami.

Izanami nodded and began walking again with Ranma by her side, "So, what do you need to talk to my father for?"

"Nothing much." Ranma replied.

The young women frowned, "Nothing much? Can't be nothing?"

Ranma remained silent and didn't answer, "So, how are you liking Waseda?"

Izanami sighed at the change of subject, "You know, you can just tell me if you didn't want to talk about something Saotome-san, I'd like to at least think of you as a friend of our family you know."

This time, Ranma sighed out loud, "I'm more of an acquaintance to your family. I doubt your father would call me a friend."

"Really? But you worked with him before in Nerima haven't you?"

Ranma nodded, "Yeah, but I think I'm more of a nuisance to the all mighty Nerima Police." A sad smile appeared on his face, which looked more like a smirk, "Watanabe-dono usually is the one that makes sure I'm not the one at fault when something big happens, well all those that aren't my fault anyways. In exchange, I help him get some small time crooks, do some stake outs with him or just act as a decoy. It's pretty fun once in a while."

Izanami gave Ranma an incredulous look, "Fun? That's not a word I would think would describe a day as a cop, or even a helper of a cop."

Ranma shrugged, "I used to be obsessed with martial arts. Basically that's all I was good at and honestly, I think I enjoyed the power that I have. And to make it worst, your father, a pretty powerful authority figure, just basically gave me a license to beat up people he gives to okay to; I guess you can say that was like all the best Christmas gifts you can get in a life time all rolled up into one."

The girl giggled, "You know, this is the first time I've seen you talk so much. I think everyone from Waseda would be freaked out if they found out."

The young man beside her smiled sadly, "Yeah, they would, wouldn't they."

"Hey, would you like to stay for dinner with us?" Izanami asked, "I mean, I'm pretty sure dad would love to have you eat dinner with us at least once."

"He has asked before," Ranma muttered to himself quietly, but loud enough for Izanami to hear on the quiet street, "I guess it wouldn't hurt just for one night."

"Why didn't you come the time he asked before?"

Ranma gave Izanami a grin and tapped his ring on his finger, "I knew he had a daughter back then, and I wouldn't want to make people jealous."

* * *

Both Ranma and Izanami sat quietly in front of the television each holding their own sketch books in front of them. It was as if something about the house that made the two so quiet. From the moment that they walked in, the two haven't spoken a word, only quietly waiting for the elder Watanabe to return. 

The clock above the television's volume is turned down enough to hear the occasional footsteps that walk outside the apartment that Izanami lived in. The two university students just sat there in front of the television, ignoring all this and stared at their sketch books, adding shading or lines once in a while to change to look of the sketch.

Izanami fidgeted and frowned; that's not how she wanted her sketch to look, more active, more cheerful, and not so gloomy. Maybe less shading in the picture would help liven it up? Inside, she knows that this is just to take her mind of one thing that keeps haunting her ever since she entered the apartment with Ranma.

This is the first time she's spent time alone with a member of the opposite sex in her own home, or any other place where two people can sit there in private.

Izanami felt her face heat up as the thought entered her mind once again.

"You know, girls tend to feel nervous when they spend time alone with a guy in an apartment, and nervous people don't blush." Ranma said without raising his head away from his sketch books, "So... what's with the blushing?"

Izanami gaped at Ranma, "Well, I blush when I'm nervous!"

Ranma nodded absentmindedly as he contintued to stare at his sketch.

Izanami pouted, "I'm telling the truth you know!"

Ranma looked up from his sketch book and gave Izanami a bored look, "You know, one of the weirder things I had to do with Watanabe-dono in Nerima was to act as a lie-detector. As a Martial Artist, you really learn how to notice a bluff or a lie, and I was told I'm pretty good at doing that."

The girl closed her eyes and covered her face, "Can't you at least let me feel that I managed to trick you?"

"... I believe you."

Izanami picked up a cushion and threw it at Ranma, "Say it convincingly!"

"Kinda hard to pretend I believe you when you're blushing so hard and throwing cushions at me trying to make me believe you." Ranma replied dryly and closed his sketch book and put it on the coffee table.

"Why you!" Izanami growled playfully and jumped at Ranma with a cushion over her head ready to hit her target over the head.

Ranma rolled his eyes and smoothly flipped away from the couch and watched as the girl landed on her face in the couch, "That was very mature of you."

Sticking her tongue out at Ranma, Izanami pouted and sat herself on the couch, "Meanie!"

Ranma chuckled and walked back to the couch, "Naw, I'm just a Jerk."

"Like that makes a difference." Izanami replied and eyed the sketch book on the table in front of her. Curiosity got the best of her and the girl reached for the book that Ranma draws in.

Ranma sighed and grabbed the sketch book away from Izanami's hands and gave her a glare, "That, is private."

"Oh come on, I just want to see what's inside. Not like I'll steal anything." Izanami replied as she reached for the book again. The hand holding the book moved further away from her forcing her to stand up and attempt to reach of it again.

"I said no looking!"

"Don't be so mean!"

"This is not being mean!"

Izanami leaped for the book and once again failing to get it when the door to the aparment suddenly flung open.

"Sorry I was so late, I brought dinner inste-" The elder Watanabe paused in mid sentence, "You know, it's usually the guy who is on top in situations like this, at least I'll get to blow up and kick the guy out. I really didn't expect you to do this to Saotome-san, Iza-chan."

Izanami gasped and blushed right red, "It's not what it looks like!"

Ranma sighed and smiled ironically, "Watanabe-dono, can I file a harassment suit against your daughter, I think my body is in danger of being taken advantage of."

The police chief laughed.

* * *

"So what brings you to our humble abode Ranma?" 

The young man swallowed the bit of food in his mouth before answering, "Well, figure it's about time I check in with you and all that."

"You know you don't have to do that anymore." The police chief rolled his eyes and shook his head in disbelieve.

Izanami ate quietly, observing the exchange between her father and her acquaintance, trying to figure out the relationship between them. To her, it seems as if her father is desperately trying to let Ranma into their lives as more than just an acquaintance, while Ranma is resisting trying to put more distance between them, even though he might want more contact.

"Yes, but it's only proper." Ranma replied and continued to eat.

The elder Watanabe sighed, "So how's your school term been up til now Iza-chan?"

Izanami blinked and blushed, "Erm... it could be better, it's harder than I thought."

"You'll get used to it." Ranma muttered in between bites of food.

"Oh yes, you would know all about the hardships of schooling, right?" Izanami's father said with a smirk.

Ranma blushed in reply and hide behind his rice bowl.

Izanami gave Ranma a curious glance, "You had a hard time in your first year too?"

Her father burst out laughing, "Iza-chan, a hard time is putting it mildly, he needed two tutors for every course he's taking in the first year just to get him a passing grade!"

The young man glared at the elder, "Thanks for keeping THAT a secret..."

"Oh lighten up!" The police chief replied all the while laughing like a hyena, "Just wait till you hear what Ranma did to the swim team in Waseda!"

"I was just enjoying a swim." Ranma grumbled, "Now I can't even use the swimming pool there without being harassed."

"I was wondering how Kano knew you can swim faster than him." Izanami said thoughtfully, "So how fast CAN you swim."

Ranma gave her a knowing smirk but stayed silent.

"Let's just say Saotome-san can swim REALLY fast." The elder Watanabe answered for Ranma.

"That is SUCH a cop out!" Izanami pouted.

"Well thanks for inviting me to dinner." Ranma said bowing deeply.

"I'm glad you finally accepted Saotome-san."

Izanami nodded in agreement with her father, "It was nice to have an extra person at the dinner table."

Ranma smiled knowingly, "Of course."

"Well come again soon." The elder Watanabe said cheerfully, "And Ranma, I told you, you don't have to come check in with me again! That whole thing was over with years ago."

"It's only proper Watanabe-dono." Ranma replied once again.

" 'Check in'?" Izanami frowned, "What does that mean?"

"There is a court order for me to report in to Watanabe-dono to ensure that I won't have a relapse to avoid an incident couple of years back." Ranma replied curtly.

"Ranma I'm sure you have to go home now." The police chief said with a hint of nervousness.

"I'm sure your daughter would like to know the truth, of why I can't protect her, and why I have to report to you every once in a while." Ranma replied flatly, "She has been really curious."

Izanami frowned as the conversation slowly left her realm of comprehension. Truth, she's always believed that the truth is what people should hear. She's heard about white lies before and never thought them to be more of a polite gesture.

"Why do this to yourself Ranma."

"Repentance is a very important thing don't you think Watanabe-dono."

"What are you talking about..." Izanami whispered, shivering unconsciously, knowing the answer will shake her to the core.

Ranma smiled sadly, "You see my ring?"

Izanami looked at the ring on his hands glittering slightly, a simple band of silver with a sapphire mounted on top, "You're married."

"I was never married, this ring was the ring I would receive on my wedding to my fiancée."

Rumors from school echoed in her mind quickly mixing with scenes from years ago that placed her mother in the hospital, in a coma. Her mother bleeding to death slowly, her mother's blood spraying all over her; the dark figure looming over her fallen mother as people all around her shouted.

"I killed the women I loved, I killed my family, I killed my friends. I almost killed your mother Watanabe-san." Ranma stated quietly, "I'm a long way from repenting my sins, but maybe someday, if I keep this up, I could..."

Izanami took a step back and starts shivering uncontrollably. The looming figure from her memories is replaced by the man in front of her. Feelings of warmth she's gotten only days ago from him is quickly replaced by feelings of coldness that is freezing her body in place, "Why..."

Ranma's body slumped, "I can't answer that."

"stay away..."

Izanami curled herself up into a ball trying to rub away the cold, chilling feeling away from her body.

"Watanabe-san..."

"Please... stay away!"

The world around Izanami ceased to exist as she shut her eyes tightly while hiding her head beneath her arms.

"Iza-chan..."

The night sky is filled with clouds. Even as many families beneath the same skies stare up at the gloomy skies, knowing that tomorrow will give them a bright day, one man stare up the same sky, unknown of what will happen in just a few days, unknown to what part he might play, he stared up hoping for the rain to come down to wash away his guilt.

* * *

I usually update before the year has ended usually around Christmas or at least before new years, kind of an annual ritual even if it's not one of the stories I'm working on. But this year... I WENT ON A TRIP! Yes folks who bother reading my work the reason why I didn't get anything done this time was because I didn't even have an internet connection! On the plus side, the trip really gave me lots of inspiration which let me finish this chapter, and there you have it! 

What can I say about this chapter... I think I'll be coming back to redo this chapter some time in the future. I sadly, this is one of the chapters that is WAY beyond my skill in writing but I still have to write. So it's either, stall the story until I get better at writing or do this chapter and get it on so I can redo this chapter later.

And since I plan on finishing this quickly anyways (Reads at least a year), I shrugged and did the best I could anyways. Sorry to disappoint everyone who thought the first chapter was good. Hopefully the next chapter would be much better! But I wouldn't know until I did a layout of the next chapter.

The conversation between Ranma and Izanami, I kinda let Ranma's character slid a bit here. There's a reason, or at least that's what I told myself, even though you can wall yourself up for a long time and not reveal much of yourself to the world, there are times where the wall cracks a bit and you'll let a bit of yourself go. I felt that this was one of the times Ranma would let his guard down a bit. He always was a sucker when it comes to girls... heh.

And about Izanami's friends... nope, won't be seeing THEM again. In the grand scheme of things, they're just here so that I can show Izanami's insecurities and anxieties about going away from her home after the whole attempted kidnapping incident.

Have I mentioned how I HATE adding the line breaks AFTER I loaded up the story into the database? Is there anyways I can get around that? If someone knows please tell me!

Hmm, Comments and suggestions are REALLY needed on this chapter so I know what to change I think. But anything is ok, flames? Sure! Donations to a poor university student? Of course! I'll take them all! Suggestions for me to go back to elementary school so that I can learn English all over again 'cause I'm just that bad at writing? Well... I'll take that too! It'll give me an excuse to have nap time again!

Just click that nifty button down there!


	3. Chapter 3

Water cascaded down Izanami's body from the shower. Steam fogged up the class walls surrounding the small cubical that houses the shower itself. The bathroom in the Watanabe apartment is filled with steam.

The water is almost scalding; Izanami's skin has already turned bright red from the hot water. Yet, the chill from her soul doesn't seem to reside one bit even when she is enveloped by warmth.

Her saviour, her guardian, she found out, is also the man who placed her mother into a coma for four years. Saotome Ranma, ex-marital artist expert, now artist, the man who saved her from her would be kidnappers. Why him?

Izanami turned off the water and walked out of the shower. Wrapping her towel around her body, she stared at the mirror, still fogged up by the water that was running few seconds ago.

Why is he walking freely around Shinjuku? Shouldn't he be in jail? Locked up? Killed? Why is her father speaking with the man who put his wife in a coma so friendly? So what if they worked together! Why!

The girl fell to her knees, water dripping from her hair onto the ground of the bathroom.

The biting chills only worsen from her shower...

* * *

And you thought it'll never come out!

Please Save my Heart

* * *

"Izanami, are you feeling better?"

The girl didn't answer the call from her father just outside her room. Her blanket covered her whole body as she hid her head beneath her pillow. Darkness surrounded her.

"Izanami, please! You have to at least come out and eat something, it's been a whole day and all you've done is come out and went to the bathroom and that shower!"

Said girl didn't hear anything of the complaints from her father. Her only response was to hide deeper underneath the pillow. The spot where her head laid was soaked in tears of fear that has not yet dried completely, the only sign of the raging uncertainty within her heart. Now, after all the tears, all she can do is stare into the darkness beneath her pillow blankly, hiding from the world, from him.

"Izanami... I'm going to leave your dinner outside your room okay? Please... at least eat something."

The worry in her father's voice did nothing to draw her out from her isolation. Perhaps it was the exhaustion from not eatting the whole day, but her stomach hasn't even growled slightly, but nevertheless, the darkness surrounding her slowly took over as she slowly floated into it.

* * *

It is a dream.

Izanami knew this. All the buildings around her seemed to be much larger than it should be. No, it wasn't the buildings that are larger; it's just her, that's how she knew it's a dream. Yes, she was four years younger. This scene she is seeing is very familiar to her.

The shopping section of Nerima was never a strange place to Izanami. Ever since she was small, her mother would bring her along to shop for ingredients for dinner that night and when she entered school, she would accompany her mother to the same shopping district to buy snacks or supplies. No, it is not the scene that she see around her that is giving her chills down her spine, but the knowledge of what is about to happen.

No, perhaps saying that this is a dream is just wishful thinking; this is a memory, a nightmare.

"Mom? Are you buying tofu again?"

"Your dad likes tofu."

Izanami felt herself pouting, it was just a prelude of what is about to happen, after the pouting...

"But tofu is so hard to pick up with my chopsticks!"

"Well, that just means you need more practice."

Then, it happened, she felt her pout turn into a smile and then turning towards her mother.

A man dropping from the sky, his fist swiping downwards towards them.

Her mother moving in front of her, shielding her from the man.

Blood spewing out from her mother's shoulder onto her.

All these scenes flash before Izanami's eyes as she is once again forced to live the scene of her nightmare that day five years ago once again.

Izanami wanted to scream, but her body would not listen to her. No, rather, she never screamed during that incident, this is her memory, and all she did back then was stared in shock as her mother's blood covered her. Time stopped for her after her mother fell to the floor lifelessly.

Her mother's blood, her own fears of death, her desperation all echoed in Izanami's mind as she stared into the scene in front of her.

Yet, she can't seem to move her eyes away from the grey blue eyes that are filled with tears...

* * *

Beep beep beep beep...

Izanami opened her eyes beneath the cover of her blanket. Her alarm clock continued to beep telling her of the time. Yes, it is once again time for her to head towards her classes in Waseda.

The cold feeling she felt ever since the truth about Ranma still reside in her, but rather than fear and confusing, she felt instead curiosity and pity. Why? Why would she feel pity for the man who almost killed her mother?

And more importantly, why where there tears in his eyes in her memory of that day...

Izanami drew all her resolve and pushed herself up from her bed and turned off the alarm clock beside her bed. Sunlight shone through the window of her bedroom. The chill in her soul is replaced by numbness. Even as the sun's rays covered her whole body she can not feel anything.

Mechanically, Izanami walked out of her room and into the bathroom stopping in front of the mirrored cabinet above the sink and automatically grabbed her toothbrush and the tube of tooth paste near her cup and started to brush her teeth.

Yes, she will find out why she saw tears in his eyes. Why her mother was put into a coma by that man.

The image of blood and the looming figure that is Ranma appeared in her mind once again causing Izanami to drop her toothbrush.

She would find out... if only her hand will stop shaking...

* * *

"Good morning Izanami!"

Said girl turned around, the chatter of people eatting brunch or just grabbing a quick snack before their class almost drowned out the greeting. Izanami felt a small smile form on her lips as her always cheery friend walked up to her, "Morning Kano."

The swimmer looked at Izanami and frowned, "You don't look so well? Don't tell me you tried cramming for your midterms."

"If only..." Izanami replied, taking a small nibble out of her sandwich she brought, "This sandwich tastes horrid."

Kano nodded, "That's why people usually go to the restaurants near here instead of buying that half frozen sandwich."

With a huff, Izanami put the sandwich back into the plastic container it came from and tried a sip of tea, "This tea is worst..."

"It's better to buy pop here." Kano replied knowingly, "So tell me, why are you eatting here?"

"Family problems... Kinda..." Izanami sighed, "Dad's been very busy and I've haven't been feeling that great either."

"Well, hope you feel better soon." Kano said before checking the time, "I have to meet up with the rest of the swim team soon, I'll catch you later? Maybe after classes?"

Izanami nodded, "Sure, I'll see you later."

Kano left with a wave of his hands leaving Izanami to stare at her sandwich once again, trying to will time to go faster so she can enter her first class...

The same class Ranma is taking...

* * *

Time didn't go faster, in fact, it seemed it slowed to a crawl after Kano left. Eventually, the time for Izanami's first class is almost there. Walking into the classroom, Izanami once again saw the empty space, void of any people, where Ranma usually sits. Fear griped her heart once again as she forced herself to sit at the spot beside Ranma's usual placement.

"This is absurd." Izanami thought to herself as she sat down at her intended seat, "He won't hurt me. I think..."

A moment later, Ranma walked into the classroom, slightly startled at the sight of Izanami in the seat beside his usual spot. With a resigned look on his face, he walked towards his seat.

Izanami tried to say something but found her own lips dry all of a sudden. Cold sweat fell from her temple.

"Watanabe-san." Izanami jumped slightly at his voice.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry about that night. I shouldn't have mentioned that."

Izanami turned her head to look at Ranma. He still wore his usual stoic expression, but his eyes shook in uncertainty. The girl felt her fears reside at the sight. That isn't the eyes of a killer, not cold. "Can I talk to you afterwards?" Izanami asked, "I need to ask you something."

"Watanabe-san?" Ranma tilted his head in confusion.

"You really scared me you know." Izanami said, her hands gripped her books tightly, "What you said..."

"I'll see you later then. I'll wait for you at the park." With that, Ranma once again stood up and walked out of the classroom, ignoring the fact that the professor just walked in and is about to begin his lecture.

* * *

"Kano? I'm not bothering you am I?"

Izanami bit her lip as she listen to Kano comically thank her for giving him a reason to leave his lecture.

"Umm, I don't think I can meet up with you after classes, something came up."

The girl can only smile as her friend dismissed her apologetic tone and made her promise to make it up to him some other day, when she's feeling better.

"Yeah, I'll even stay until the bill comes and not ditch you at the last minute."

* * *

The sky is already turning dark. The towering buildings around the park served only to block the view of the setting sun leaving Izanami with the dark blue sky above her. She got to the park earlier than expected as her last class's professor ended the lecture early. A sigh left her mouth.

"Almost time..." Izanami tilted her head back and stared at the sky again.

"You're early..."

"So are you..."

Ranma sat himself down beside the girl who's still looking at the sky, "So what do you want to ask?"

"What happened that day?" Izanami asked without looking down from the sky.

Ranma blinked at the suddenness of that question, "Do you really want to know?"

"Yes... I want to know..."

The ex-martial artist closed his eyes, "It was supposed to be a happy day you know, that day. After so much confusion and going through so much, I finally found figured out who I really love. We were about to marry each other."

Izanami turned her head and stared at Ranma's clouded eyes, "To Tendo-san?"

"Yes, Tendo Akane, my fiancée. Although it was an arranged marriage, we grew to love each other as we spend our days together. There was lots of fighting between the two of us and even more confusion as to what we were supposed to do. How can we marry each other when we barely know each other?" A sad smile graced Ranma's face, "Despite everything, we figured out that we slowly grew to love each other. But, just like many things in my life, there was trouble. There were people who were against our marrying each other and came to stop it. Those people also know of my weakness."

"Why were they against your marriage? It's arranged right?"

"There were many reasons; let's just leave it at that." Ranma replied, his smile no longer on his face, "When I was younger, I had a intense phobia of cats, so bad that when I am near a cat for too long, I'll start acting like one, or at least the impression of a cat in my mind. The people who wanted to stop our wedding threw a cat at me, I couldn't get away."

Ranma look in a deep breath and stared forward, "I think your mother's blood woke me up. I couldn't do anything other than stare at what I did. I still didn't know what I did to my family, or Akane, the only thing going through my mind was the blood on my face. When the police took me in, I was put through psychiatric evaluation and all that stuff. The police told me that I killed everyone I knew except for the grandmaster of my martial art's school who was living with the Tendo's and the grand mother of the girl who objected to the marriage. They also told me that I needed psychiatric help to make sure I didn't do that again."

"The doctors did everything they could to help me. From therapy, to drugs, they even tried to hypnotize me to help me. The girl's grandmother, despite everything, did everything she could to help me recover to rid me of my phobia too. But everything seemed to result in the same thing, me reliving the day my father threw me into a pit of starving cats with food wrapped around me." Ranma shivered, "For a whole year, I experienced that nightmare over and over again in order to overcome my phobia. I don't know what happened, but one day, the doctors released me and said I was cured. I wasn't sure when or how it happened, but I stopped fearing cats. Of course, that year of reliving my nightmare might have been a mercy for me. When I found myself sitting in an empty apartment I finally realized something."

Izanami found herself staring harder at Ranma's shaking eyes, "What did you realize?"

A strangled laugh escaped from Ranma's lips, "I am a monster..."

"Why?"

Ranma turned towards the girl beside him shaking uncontrollably, "I almost killed your mother! With my own hands! And I murdered all my friends and family!"

Izanami stared at Ranma showing no emotion, "And that makes you a monster?"

"I killed my family and friends and yet, I don't even feel the need to mourn their death. Even when I visited their graves, I felt nothing." Ranma replied quietly, appearing to have calmed down, but his lips still shaked, despite it curling up into a smirk, "When I realized that, I knew, I've turned into a monster..."

"Then why are you crying..." Izanami found herself moving closer to Ranma and wiping away the trails of tears streaming from his eyes, "monsters don't cry..."

Ranma looked up at the sky in confusion, "Huh? It's not raining? Wasn't it raining?"

"Why are you doing this to yourself?" Izanami asked, placing her hand on Ranma's cheek, "Why can't you admit to yourself that you're sad?"

"I don't know... I don't know anymore..."

* * *

Izanami found herself smiling as she stared down at the man who is resting his head on her lap. The two of them returned to Izanami's home where Ranma finally gave in to his exhaustion and fell asleep.

"This is so unfair..." Izanami whispered to the silent room, "Why did you have to be the one to do that to my mother..."

Ranma shifted in his sleep, turning his head facing upwards towards Izanami's face, "I can at least be mad at you if you were someone else. I can't even blame you for what happened to my mother."

The front door opened nosily in the silent apartment. Izanami turned towards the entrance and greeted her father with a weary smile, "Welcome back. You're home early today."

The police chief smiled, "You look much better Iza-chan."

"I feel about the same." The girl replied as she turned back towards the sleeping figure of Ranma, "I don't know what to feel now."

Izanami's father frowned and walked towards his daughter to find Ranma sleeping on her lap, "You know, if it was anyone else, I would've stripped him naked and kicked him out of the apartment."

Izanami let out a short laugh, "You'll wake him up."

"I'm already awake."

Ranma pushed himself up and gave his two startled host a sheepish smile, "I'm sorry Watanabe-dono, but your daughter has a very comfortable lap."

"You're starting to sound like Happosai." The elder Watanabe replied sharply, "I'm beginning to reconsider my idea of stripping you naked and kicking you out."

Izanami blushed bright red and began straightening her jeans from imaginary wrinkles, "That was mean Saotome-san."

"Sorry." Ranma replied with a soft smile, "By the way, do you mind if I borrowed your couch for tonight Watanabe-dono?"

The police chief gave the younger man a confused look, "I don't mind, but why?"

"It would be easier for me to guard your daughter if I was around her more often." Ranma replied with a confident grin, "After all, you did ask me to do that didn't you?"

"I thought you said you couldn't do that?"

"It was a lie." Ranma shrugged, "Cologne taught me a special technique before she passed on in hopes to get me to practice my art more. If nothing else, that technique can help with this task."

"A martial arts technique for being a body guard?" Izanami gave the two men a quizzical look.

"Ranma is very talented in martial arts, he can do things that most of us can't even hope to do." The elder Watanabe answered, "I'm sure if you ask nicely he'll demonstrate some techniques for you."

"Watanabe-dono..." Ranma growled slightly, "My techniques isn't for show and tell."

"Dad's got me interested now..." Izanami said, giving Ranma a curiously look, "Show me something!"

"You can always show her that punching thing."

"No... I'll just tire myself out and miss dinner."

"Awwww... come on!"

* * *

Morning came, and for once Izanami woke before her alarm. The warmth of her bed kept her from leaving it to greet the new day. A content smile on her face turned in to a frown when she turned towards a stray beam of sun coming from her window.

"Ugnnnn..." Izanami pushed herself up finally and stared at her alarm clock, "Geez, why won't you let me sleep for that one extra minute before the ala-"

Beep... Beep... Beep...

With a sight Izanami pressed the button on the alarm to turn of the beeping, "Fine fine... I'll get up..."

With a stretch, she slid out of her bed and staggered out of her room towards the bathroom to be greeted by the sight of Ranma, bear chested with a towel wrapped around his waist.

"Good morning Watanabe-san."

"g...g...good morning?"

Ranma blinked and blushed as he realized what he was wearing at the moment, "I'm sorry, I guess I'm not used to living with other people after so long."

"I... it's alright..." Izanami stuttered, "Umm... It's my turn to use the shower..."

" 'scuse me"

The girl closed the door to the bathroom quickly and felt herself falling towards the floor, "What a way to start the day..."

"Umm... Watanabe-san? I forgot I left my laundry inside... can you pass it out to me please?"

Izanami turned to see Ranma's clothing lying on the floor beside the, she flushed red, "This can't be good for my health..."

* * *

"So... this is awkward..." Kano said flatly as he stared across the table in the restaurant near the campus.

Izanami gave Kano an apologetic smile, "Sorry, but Saotome-san has some business with my family so he'll be with me for some time."

"You can pretend I'm not here." Ranma said smile, "I guess you can't really do that though with all the rumors about me."

Kano chuckled nervously, "I'm sure their all just stories."

Ranma gave the swimmer across the table a look and smiled, "Of course."

"You know Saotome-san, when you say of course like that, it's really creepy." Kano blurted out.

"So..." Izanami grinned nervously at the two men at the table, "I did say I'll treat you to lunch this time around Kano, so pick anything you like!"

"Pft, if I knew you'd be like this, I'd choose a more expensive restaurant." Kano replied with a grin, "Hey, since you're paying, does that mean that I can order some take out for dinner too?"

Izanami glared across the table, "I think not Kano. If you dare do that I'll use you as my practice dummy for moves I learnt as a kid."

"She punches really hard too; I'd try to stay on her good side." Ranma commented calmly as he sipped on the cup of tea in front of him, "And coming from a guy who used to live in Nerima, that's saying something."

Izanami elbowed and stuck out her tongue at Ranma, "Meanie."

Kano blinked, "I didn't picture you as the joking type Saotome-san."

"I don't really have lots of chances to show that side of me did I?" Ranma grinned, "After all, it's not everyday someone will come up to a rumored killer and speak to them."

"Ah, I guess so." Kano said thoughtfully, "Speaking of which, both you and Izanami lived in Nerima right?"

"Yup." Izanami answered quickly, "It was pretty crazy there, lots of people learning martial arts, it's almost like a fad there when I was still living there."

Ranma chuckled, "It almost feels like you can't walk a step without bumping into another martial artist."

"So did you know each other when you where living there?"

"I didn't know Ranma until I met him on the first day in Waseda." Izanami scratched her head, "But I've seen him before..."

"I knew of Watanabe-san." Ranma answered after Izanami trailed off, "I worked with her father when he was still in the Nerima district police five... six years ago. Come to think of it, I never did really meet your family until recently."

"And here I thought you guys knew each other from before. You seem so comfortable with each other." Kano raised his hand to wave over a waitress to order, "And Saotome-san was actually acting nice to you when you tripped in front of the gate of Waseda. At first I thought he knew you."

"WHAT! You saw that!" Izanami blushed bright red.

"I'm pretty sure anyone walking towards the gate saw that." Kano deadpanned and looked up to the waitress who just got to the table, "Hi, we'd like to place our order..."

* * *

"Kano seems to like you a lot." Ranma looked up from his sketch book and gave Izanami a quizzical look.

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, he seems very interested in knowing about you." The girl replied with a smile, "I'm pretty sure guys like him don't usually ask other guys so many questions."

Ranma shrugged and thought back to the lunch he had with his charge and her friend, "He just probably want to know more about the person who beat his record at swimming. Know thy enemy and all that."

Izanami sighed, "Has anyone told you before that you need to be more optimistic?"

The young man laughed, "I've been told the exact opposite when I was younger. This would be the first time anyone has told me that."

"When you were younger..." Izanami blinked, "You haven't talked to anyone in a long time."

"Four years." Ranma muttered and then snorted, "I haven't talked much for four years; the year before that mostly consisted of me screaming and mad gibberish caused by my fears."

"Is that why you took up drawing?" Izanami asked while turning her gaze back onto her own sketch book.

"Why do you say that?"

"They say drawing is one of the only things in the world that an isolated person can do." Izanami smudged a line in her sketch book with her thumb as she spoke, "They say pictures drawn by a person speak with them."

Ranma chuckled, "If that were true, I think I'll be scared of my drawings."

"Why is that?"

"I can only draw images of my old life." Ranma said sadly and placed his sketch book open in front of Izanami, "The people that I know, the places that I see, the feelings that I had; all of that within the pictures I draw."

Izanami felt her breath being taken from her as she gazed into the scene of a girl breaking bricks in the middle of a dojo that is on the sketch book.

"Akane loves to break bricks for stress relief. She says its good practice and great substitute for hitting me." Ranma smiled softly at the memory, "I watch her sometimes when she does that."

"She looks beautiful." Izanami whispered, gazing at the detail in which Ranma put into drawing Akane.

"Yeah... she is." Ranma's smile widen, "For a tomboy."

* * *

Dinner was especially surprising for the Father and Daughter. Ranma insisted on cooking for them. Izanami, admittedly, felt insanely jealous of Ranma's ability to cook, even more when Ranma said it was nothing compared to some of the people he knew. The three talked after dinner, that is to say, Izanami listen and laughed as Ranma and her father spoke of the "adventures" they had in Nerima. She listened until she felt herself nodding away.

"You should go to bed Watanabe-san." Ranma stood up and offered his hand, "We have a morning class tomorrow."

"Ranma, are you attempting to take my daughter to bed?"

"Stop being so perverted dad." Izanami growled, "Ranma-san is just being nice."

"It's Ranma now is it?" The police chief grinned, "Getting pretty close aren't we?"

Ranma sighed and massaged his temple, "Watanabe-dono, can you PLEASE not do that. I had enough trouble dealing with match makers when I was younger."

Izanami giggled as she found herself led back to her room, "You can sleep on the floor here you know Ranma-san. I have a spare futon you can lay out."

"Thanks for the offer Watanabe-san, but the couch is good enough." Ranma replied, "I'm pretty sure your father would kill me if he found out we slept in the same room."

"Good night then."

* * *

Izanami laid wide awake in her bed, listening to the voices coming from the living room. It was two hours since she tried to sleep, but for two hours, she lay awake staring at the empty ceiling. The conversation between her father and her guardian went on, following no particular pattern.

"Honestly Ranma, how confident are you in keeping my daughter safe."

"As long as the info you gave me are right, I shouldn't have a problem."

"Then why don't you seem too confident?"

"There is a reason why I won't show my techniques now you know." Izanami gripped her blanket tightly as the soft winds from outside blew into her room, "Techniques that I used when I was younger strain a normal person's body too much. Only those people who keep their body at certain fitness level can pull them off with no consequence. I'm not one of those people. Not anymore."

"What will happen to you if you use those techniques?"

"I don't know honestly, I'll stress my tendons too much? I'll over use my heart? I have no idea. But don't worry, I'm still in pretty good physical shape, I can still push myself pretty hard."

"Promise me you won't be too reckless."

"That, I can't promise you."

Izanami gripped her blanket tightly, "Why does it have to be him. He's really too kind..."

Without a signal or a herald, everything is about to change.

As if it is curious of what is to happen, the moon shone brightly in the sky, watching the city silently in anticipation of what is to come the next day. It won't see the event that will change the future, but it still gazed into the city, watching the people within.

Tomorrow will be just another day...

But the moon knows differently...

* * *

This chapter surprised me.

Not in that it's so freaking good that I'm going to burst. Bur rather, it's so mediocre and yet still took me so long to make it just that. Honestly, I have a new respect for people who only write short stories. I mean the amount of time allowed for characters to grow is limited and yet, they have to in order for the story to go on, to make it so that the growth progresses naturally and still keep it short is amazing.

I tried to shove all the character development I can into one chapter. Not the best move on my part, but I'm trying to keep the story with only four segments and still cram in quite a bit of change for Ranma and Izanami. In retrospect, I think I grew reliant on character development through side plots.

But I think I learnt a lot writing this chapter and it's leading up to the end! For those of you who are looking for some action, it's coming up next chapter! For those of you who are looking for me to stop writing this piece, it's over after next chapter! For those of you who want me to expand on this... well... err... there's still next chapter!

Aha... well hopefully I'll finish this soon. Honestly, I have two or three other one shot stories that I'm writing which is taking away writing time from this story and also I'm already writing the first chapter on the second arc of Destiny of the Magi. Yep, I've been busy typing away on too many things at once and not enough on one thing! Well hopefully I'll post up the last chapter of this and some new stuff on DotM next time, but most likely I'll be posting the one-shots instead... but don't worry! This will be done before the end of the year and I'll be concentrating on DotM again for those of you who actually read my stuff...

Comments! Suggestions! Flames! Money! Or even offers of the flesh if you're a hot chick! I take them all! Just click the nifty button below!


	4. Chapter 4

Izanami watched as Ranma knelt down in front of the Tendo family grave.

"You know Watanabe-san, this is the first time I've been to their grave." Said girl didn't reply, but only stare at the scene in front of her, "I didn't think I would ever come here. I was scared honestly, scared of being in front of them after all the horrible things I've done. But, I have to come here right now I think."

"Why?" Izanami asked, as if urging the man in front of her to keep talking, "Why come now?"

"I've always protected Akane, my fiancee, from everything I could. It would be rude to suddenly protect another girl without saying anything I think, especially after I killed her with my own hands." Ranma replied robotically, "I think... I think Akane would've wanted me to do this, to protect others in her place; but I don't know if I can anymore."

"Is it because you're not as strong as you used to be?"

"No" Ranma shook his head, "Nothing like that. Pops... My father, used to tell me that even the weakest person in the world has the power to protect something, even if it is for just a second. No, I just don't know if a person who wants to die can protect anything."

Izanami froze. Nothing was said between the two in the empty graveyard as Izanami reached an epiphany.

All this, the fear of being killed, the fear of facing her mother's killer, it was nothing against the fear that Ranma held in facing his loved ones whom he killed. Even as she felt as if the world is threatening her, the man in front of her felt as if the world as already killed him and threw him aside.

This was never about her...

"Ranma... protect me." Izanami said in a commanding tone, "And I'll give you a reason not to die."

Ranma turned away from the grave and gave Izanami a playful smile, "You already did, your lap is really to die for."

This is about Ranma...

"Well, then you better do a good job then." Izanami replied, trying to hide her blushing face.

"Didn't you hear the saying back in Nerima? Ranma Saotome don't lose."

... and how he regained himself.

* * *

Please open my mind and peer within,  
See my fears, in my world so dim.  
Free my from this place, so dark,  
as I ask of only one thing,

Please save my heart.

* * *

"This... This is crazy!"

"I know how this looks sir, but I have utmost confidence in this information."

Police chief Watanabe stared at the report that just came in his office this morning, "But this says that the group we've been tracking has..."

"Yes, they have military grade explosives in their possession. The only upside to this is that they don't have a lot."

Izanami's father gave his subordinate a glare, "Don't have a lot? You say they don't have A-FUCKING-LOT! Even ONE bomb can kill THOUSANDS! This is Tokyo, a city with one of the highest population density in the world, THE WORLD! Do you KNOW what will happen if your "not a lot" bomb explode anywhere near here?"

The man in front of the police chief flinched at the verbal assault, "Sir, we also know where they are storing the explosives."

"THAT was supposed to be the upside." Izanami's father growled, "I'll have to contact the higher ups, we don't have the capabilities to deal with this ourselves. Get me few copies of this information in detail, I'm pretty sure no one would believe me unless I have some prove..."

"I'm on it sir!"

"If only I was back in Nerima." The police chief sighed and starts massaging his own temples, "Shit like this never happens in Nerima... well, maybe bombs do blow up in Nerima, but people never die... before THAT happened anyways..." He signed again before standing himself up, "Where is Ranma when you need him to beat some sense into people..."

***********************************************************************************

"So, you never did tell me what you can do?" Izanami said as herself and Ranma walked down the streets of Nerima, heading towards the train station, "Well, I know you can out swim the top swimmer in our University, so you're in very good shape, but Dad said something about special moves or something."

Ranma sighed, "You make me sound like some superhero in an anime or something."

"Well, you did say something about knowing a trick."

"It's not that impressive you know." Ranma said dismissively, "Not like that punching thing Watanabe-dono seems to like seeing me demonstrate anyways."

"Well can you show me anyways?" Izanami pouted.

"Sure, it doesn't strain my body like some other techniques." Ranma said, "Go pick up a rock and throw it at me."

"Okay..." The girl gave Ranma a skeptical glance but did as she was told, "Just warning you, I have a pretty mean throw."

"It won't even touch me." Ranma said confidently stretching one arm towards Izanami, parallel to the ground. "Throw it as hard as you can at me."

"Alright... here I go." Izanami yelled and threw the rock as hard as she could at Ranma. The martial artist watched as the rock traveled half the distance towards him before sharply pulling his arm downwards. As if following his command, the rock also turned sharply downwards and hit the ground, leaving it embedded in the asphalt.

Izanami stared at the rock, "How..."

Ranma grinned at the girls bewildered expression, "Air pressure, one of my techniques allows me to create a flow of air that is almost as fast as the speed of sound. The technique itself was made as a way to crush an opponent from a distance, but my teacher taught this to me as a way to deflect projectiles away from people. In this way, I can deflect bullets coming my way, as long as I see them coming."

"But they're bullets..." Izanami said dryly, "you can't SEE bullets coming at you..."

"Thats where one of my original technique comes in." Ranma replied with a hint of sadness, "By pouring a lot of energy into my eye and brain, I can perceive things much faster than your average person. Of course, my body still can't move that fast without another technique, but I CAN see bullets coming, as long as they're from pistols and nothing faster."

"Okay, so you're saying that not ONLY can you see bullets, you can also move fast enough and use some mystical power to make them go another way by telling the air to push it aside?" Izanami glared at her bodyguard, "Seriously, whats the trick? How did you get the rock I threw at you to drop to the ground like that?"

Ranma chuckled, "Anyone can do this Izanami, it's not magic, it's just a way to extend your body's energy to enhance what you can do."

"If anyone can do this, then why doesn't more people know how?"

"But they do know." Ranma replied quickly, "For example, how does a surgeon perform a surgery for hours without rest and still not make any mistakes? How do people in the army fight even when their body is pushed to the limit without having their performance drop so much that they can't fight? It's all about pushing your body beyond your limit." Ranma smiled at his charge before continuing again, "Once a person realize that their limit can be surpassed, they're body naturally follows and becomes stronger. But that's really besides the point" The martial artist smiled confidently, "Don't worry, after all, it's not easy getting guns in Japan, at worst, anyone going after you will only have a pistol or two. I can knock them out before they can even pull the trigger."

"I'll have to see it to believe it you know." Izanami smiled, reassured by Ranma's confidence, "But then again, there are rumors back in Nerima about you throwing fireballs and something about a tornado too..."

Ranma bit his lip and gave a nervous chuckle, "Where did you hear about that?"

"I saw it on one of my dad's reports," Izanami answered thoughtfully, "I remember dad acting all weird that day."

The two stopped as they reached a crosswalk in front of the train station, "Must be the day he first met me." Ranma muttered, "Yeah, it was crazy that day."

The traffic light turned red. Ranma and Izanami walked across the street towards the train station briskly. The sky is cloudless as the sun hung up in the sky trying to heat up the cold winter air.

"Come on," Ranma gestured towards the ticket machines, "Lets get our tickets and head back to Shinjuku."

"Right."

***********************************************************************************

"Boss, the girl is getting on the train."

"We'll get her in Shinjuku."

"But boss! What about-"

"There's nothing else we can do, we've gotta get out of the country, this is the only way!"

"... Right. I'll contact the others."

"Yes, after this, we can get out of here and no one would be able to do anything."

***********************************************************************************

Izanami found herself staring at her bodyguard throughout the train ride back to Shinjuku. Ranma's abilities baffled her to no end, how can a person claim to see bullets, or push rocks away without touching them, or move fast enough to react to bullets? Even more baffling is how she have absolute confidence that Ranma isn't lying to her, believe every single word he said to her without a doubt in her mind.

"We are now arriving at Shinjuku..."

Ranma turned to the girl next to him after the pre-recorded voice announced their arrival, giving her a smile as they walked out of the train into the station platform, "Wanna grab something to eat before heading back?"

Izanami nodded, "Sure, don't feel like coo- WHOA!"

Izanami felt herself pulled back behind Ranma suddenly. Grabbing onto Ranma's arms to steady herself, she meekly peered around Ranma to find five men with guns pointed at the passengers that just got off the train. Many of them didn't even notice a thing until one of the men fired his gun into the air.

Ranma frowned and pulled his charge down near the ground as screams sounded all around them. He glanced around to see people running towards the exit of the station in panic, trampling some, while the people near the five gunman all knelt on the ground, hands over their head, shivering in fear. The ex-martial artist can only hope uselessly that this isn't related to the Yakuza case the police chief was working on, "Of course, it would be about that wouldn't it..."

Izanami gave Ranma a frightened look, "About what?"

"Don't worry Izanami-san, I'll keep you safe." Ranma replied with a smile before turning to glare at the five men, "Now, if only there wasn't so much people around."

"Hello everyone, if I can have your attention." One of the gunmen yelled, "We're not here to harm anyone, but merely negotiate with the police, and everyone here is here to help us with this negotiation." Izanami caught herself wanting to roll her eyes despite the fear she was feeling, "Now, can miss Watanabe Izanami please step up before we're forced to kill the people here?"

Ranma held his charges arm tightly, "Don't stand up."

"But..."

"They'll use you against your father." Ranma hissed his warning at Izanami, "You'll just make his job harder."

"I'll count to five before I start killing." Fearful cries sounded all around as the gunman started to count.

"Ranma! I can't let those people die!" Izanami hissed back frantically, tears streamed down her face from both fear and desperation, "Let me go!"

Ranma gritted his teeth before letting go of her arm, "I'll rescue you, don't do anything stupid."

".... One...."

Izanami immediately stood up with her arms in the air, "I'm Watanabe Izanami!"

The gunman grinned, "Excellent, now, if you will follow me miss Watanabe, we can wait for the police to arrive, then we can start negotiating. The rest of you, just follow my associates and try not to misbehave, they have very itchy trigger fingers."

***********************************************************************************

Izanami, tied to a chair, glared at her captor, who periodically sneers back before leaning on the wall near the door to the room. The man who she assumed to be the leader has left a while ago, probably to "negotiate" with the police judging from the distant explosions she heard a while ago, before the leader left. The security room that she's being held at is filled with monitors, showing scenes from the station. None showed her where her guardian is.

"Damnit... this is taking too long... Boss... don't be stupid and just get it over with..." The guard muttered impatiently, tapping his pistol with his trigger finger.

Izanami twitched as the tapping sound of finger on pistol slowly gnawed at her nerves. The room was too quiet, she can clearly hear the hum of the monitors mounted on the wall opposite to the door. She can hear the tapping of the guard's foot on the ground. She can hear weird shifting sounds from the ceiling...

Sounds... from the ceiling?

The guard stopped his fidgeting and pointed his pistol towards the ceiling. The two inside room stared intently at the ceiling. Suddenly, the guard dropped down unconscious without even looking away from the ceiling. Izanami blinked in shock, seeing Ranma give her a confident grin as he calming walked towards her and untied her from her chair. "How ya doing?"

"H-how... when..." Izanami stuttered as she stood up.

"Way of the silent thief." Ranma muttered cryptically, "Well, it's more like misdirection, but it works."

"You've got to teach me how to do that one day." Izanami said in wonder, "And I don't mean the sneaking into a room without anyone noticing."

Ranma chuckled, "Yeah, nerve strikes can knock down a bear if done correctly. Anyways, we've gotta get outta here. I've taken care of three other goons and the hostages that we were with are walking away from the station using the rails. The problem is, we can't get out the same way ever since the explosion. They blew up the entrances to the train platform and blocked all the exits except for one. And it seems Watanabe-dono gave me incorrect information. Thats WAY too much explosives for "Just a few guns"."

The girl can only stare at Ranma in wonder, "How can you be so calm..."

"I've been through worst." Ranma replied as he stared at the monitors, "The exit facing the police station is the only one unblocked by rubble, and all the rogue Yakuza members are all barricaded there." Ranma growled, pointed towards the monitor showing the unblocked exit. "The only way we're getting out is through THAT, so we're going to have force ourselves out of there."

"Um, Ranma, they have explosives and guns." Izanami deadpanned, "There is no way we can force our way through those people. Can't we sneak pass them?"

"Not unless you can turn invisible." Ranma replied, "Anyways, lets get out of this room, they'll figure something is wrong sooner or later and if we're caught like this, it's no different to being held hostage."

Izanami nodded and followed Ranma out the room, sticking close to him. "Izanami, try to follow me, but don't stick too close. If anything happens, run and hide."

"Right..."

Izanami watched as Ranma cautiously lead her towards the only remaining exit of the station. They moved quickly from corridor to corridor, up flights of stairs towards their goal. Lights within the station are all off, not even the ticket dispensing machines are on. The eerie silence permeated the usually impossibly busy station, only to be accompanied by the occasional yells and demands of the gunmen and the length replies. As the two got closer, the yells and retorts got louder.

"...mands or we'll kill the rest of the hostages! Starting with Watanabe Izanami! Any more attempts at negotiating will be taken as a negative reply!"

"Kill you first huh?" Izanami watched Ranma's face twitch in anger, "Not if I can help it..."

The girl gave her guardian and helpless shrug. Ranma held his hand up, signaling for Izanami to stop. She watched as Ranma slowly sneak up towards the next bend, and peered around it.

"Damnit! I told you this is stupid boss! We should've tried to sneak out of the country!"

"How many times do I have to tell you, you idiot, the family controls all the other routes, it's either this or walk right INTO their hands! We'll be killed right there!"

"Boss! They won't give in! These bastards won't let us leave!"

Izanami frowned as the conversation of the gunmen echoed in the empty station. Ranma, by the time the conversation degraded to just whining, is already back beside his charge, "Looks like they DO have more hostages. There's six of them left, all of them have guns, and I think I saw more of those explosives, this isn't good."

"So, what do we do?"

Ranma frowned and stared at Izanami, "How fast can you run."

"Pretty fast?"

"Can you run up the stairs to the exit without stopping, at full speed?"

"I'm pretty sure I can in this situation." Izanami replied with a nervous giggle.

"Good, get ready to run at the corner there, when you hear screams and gun shots, starts running." Ranma said with a grim expression on his face, "Oh yeah, you'll have to climb over their barricade before you reach the stairs, it isn't that high, so you should be okay."

"Ranma..."

"Don't worry." Ranma grinned, "Something like bombs and guns can't kill me."

"... Right..."

***********************************************************************************

Once again, the feeling of an epiphany came to Izanami as she ran towards the light at the top of the stairway. The sounds of guns firing, bullets ricocheting off the floor and walls, and screams of people sounded loudly behind her. The light of freedom grew larger and larger as she got closer to the exit. Yet, even when she realize she is safe, when her father rushed out from behind the wall of policemen surrounding the exit to embrace her, the feeling remained.

This story, is never about her, and the climax has yet to come.

Her fear, her escape, and her safety, non of it matter, as the climax will soon sweep everyone away...

***********************************************************************************

"Once again, we're here at the scene of the hostage situation near Shinjuku station. Despite the efforts of the police force to evacuate the building, the members of the Yakuza still holds a group of hostages within the underground station." The reporter took a breath before continuing with her report in front of the camera, "Just moments ago, the daughter of the Shinjuku police chief, Watanabe Izanami, escaped from her captives, it seems there is someone INSIDE the station fighting the gunmen to let her escape. The sound of gunfire can still be heard! Wait! Whats this!"

The cameramen swept his camera towards the last exit to the Shinjuku station, catching the escape of the remaining hostages, "The remaining hostages are escaping! Whoever is fighting the Yakuza inside the station managed to free the remaining hostages! We can see that the last of the hostages are now free! The police are wasting no time in guiding them towards the ambulance." Just as the reporter finished her sentence, an explosion boomed. The Reporter and the cameramen instinctively dropped towards the ground.

"An explosion just occurred! We still have no idea who is fighting the Yakuza inside the station, but it is safe to assume that he's still fighting them and they Yakuza just set off another bomb in an effort to defeat whoever if fighting them!" The cameramen once again pointed his camera towards the exit of the station to catch a blue glow illuminating it.

"Hey! Yuriko! The station! It's glowing!" The cameramen yelled at the reporter, pointing towards the exit.

"What's happeneing? I thought the police cut the power to the station already!" The reporter replied, puzzled at the light. The cameramen focused his camera and zoomed in on the mysterious light which is flickering like a flame would. Seconds later, the blue nimbus flew out from the station, into the air. Screams of death threats preceded rapid gun shots. The blue light flickered once again, before dying out, revealing a young man with a white shirt, dyed in red from his own blood, kneeling on the ground before the exit.

"This... This is incredible! It seems like this young man fought the gunmen inside the station! Hold on! Something else is happening!"

The young man stood up once more, the blue light flared up once again around him. Footsteps echoed loudly, heading towards the entrance, "EVERYONE STEP BACK! HE'S BRINGING UP A BOMB!" The young man screamed before crossing his arms in front of him. The blue light around the young man stops flickering and holds a shape of a sphere before shrinking down in size, as if the young man absorbed the light.

".... Mouko TAKABISHA!" A bright blue light flashed once again, only this time, it burnt blindingly for merely a second outwards from the young man. The entrance to the station crumbled from the flash of light, trapping the gunmen in the station.

"This is incredible!" The reporter exclaimed as she lead the cameramen, through the wall of people towards where the young man fired the flash of blue light. "I am going to attempt to get a comment from the young man!"

"Ranma! Wake up! RANMA!"

***********************************************************************************

Izanami stared at the event in front of her in awe. Ranma's words echoed in her mind as he watched this. Anyone can do this...

Ranma jumped out from the exit, higher than anyone she has ever seen with his arms pointed towards the exit. Gunshots were fired and almost at the same time, Ranma brought both his arms down. Sounds of the bullets ricocheting echoed outwards, making everyone flinch in surprise. Before Ranma can lift his arm again to defend himself, a third, the a fourth, then a fifth was heard. Izanami stared in horror as her guardian jerked in the air, the blue light surrounding him flickered away as he landed on the asphalt. His white shirt slowly staining red.

"RANMA!"

As if answering to her call, the blue light flickered into existence once again as Ranma forced himself to stand, "Watanabe-san, stay back... EVERYONE STEP BACK! HE'S BRINGING UP A BOMB!"

Izanami didn't move an inch as she saw Ranma facing towards the man, holding something, quickly ascending from underground station, "Heh, like a bomb can stop me... face my pride! Mouko TAKABISHA!"

Izanami was force to cover her eyes from the bright light that suddenly blinded her. The scene that greeted her when she opened her eyes once again shocked her. The opening to the station collapsed, only rubble remained.

Anyone can do this...

***********************************************************************************

It wasn't till she reached the hospital did Izanami regained her wits. Her father was beside her with his arms wrapped around her shoulders, gently guiding her towards a chair. The scene that occurred minutes before still fresh in her mind.

"Is Ranma going to be alright?"

"He's been through worst, not much worst through..." The elder Watanabe said with a sigh, "Damn it, if only we knew about this sooner, this wouldn't have happened."

Izanami turned her attention towards the television mounted at the corner of the waiting room of the hospital, the news was on. It seems they're still talking about the incident she was in, just moments ago, "Lots of people died..."

"Yes..."

"..." Izanami stared at the headline, "Mysterious blue light, and super human abilities... people died... and they talk about what Ranma did... don't they have any decency?"

"Well, I don't really blame them. I remember the first time I saw Ranma do something like that back in Nerima." The police chief smiled nostalgically, "The whole station was talking and asking Ranma about how he beat up the gang trying to start their business in Nerima. Ranma did that blue light thing he does and we ended up only talking about that and almost forgot about the gang members he caught."

"Aren't you guys professional." Izanami teased, "But people died..."

"Yeah, but no one will talk about it."

"..."

***********************************************************************************

Days passed, all wasted, hiding in her home to avoid reporters and journalists, Izanami finally managed to leave her home and headed towards the hospital. The news is still talking about the mysterious fighter that took down the Yakuza in the underground station. At first, other than the Japanese News station, all the international news network took it as a hoax. That didn't last long as a prominent journalist placed his whole career on the line claiming that everything that happened is true. Apparently, he was on vacation when he stumbled onto the incident.

Izanami scoffed at that, that journalist is probably earning millions being interviewed by people all over the world, just because he is a "prominent" journalist.

But all that didn't matter, after four days of hiding in her room, Izanami finally managed to get to the hospital where Ranma is recovering. What greeted her there was a silent Ranma laying motionless in bed, "You don't look so good."

No response came.

"Ranma..." Izanami gazed sadly at the young man laying in bed. His face is pale, his arm hooked up to an IV drip for nutrition. But despite it all, his face seemed peaceful, as if all was right in the world. "You know Ranma, everyone is talking about you. When you wake up, all the reporters are going to be swarming you asking you questions."

Silence met the young women who turned her attention to the window beside Ranma's bed, "You know, a man named Happosai showed up in the middle of one of the talk shows debating whether or not what you did was all a hoax. Can you believe it? People died, and still there are people who don't seem to want to believe it happened. But Happosai showed up during one of the speeches from the skeptics, right in the middle of the show! He walked up to him and sucker punched him right into the wall! He started to say how he's your master and can prove everything to be true and did that light thing you did."

Izanami smiled, remembering just yesterday when the live show aired, "The people from the skeptic side all stared with their mouths wide open and kept on trying to see if there was any trick to it for the whole hour! Right after that, it seems your master disappeared again..."

"Everything is happening so fast..." Izanami whispered, "I know I can't run from this forever, those reporters are going to catch up to me sooner or later, but I'd feel better if you were there when I have to talk to them..."

There was still no answer...

***********************************************************************************

"... saw you on television last night."

Izanami entered her home, once again managing to dodge any reporters to be greeted by the sight of her father talking to Happosai.

"You're daughter's back." The old man, wearing a earth brown Gi commented without turning, "And she's quite a looker too."

"Hands off, pervert." Izanami's father muttered before turning towards Izanami, "Welcome back, hows Ranma doing?"

"Hi dad," Izanami replied, talking into the living room, "He's really pale, but at least he looks peaceful. And this is?"

"Ah yes, this is Happosai, the Grandmaster of Ranma's martial arts style." The elder Watanabe introduced, "He just dropped by for a little chat."

"Ranma eh? He'll be unconscious for quite some time, burnt too much Ki for his body to handle." Happosai shook his head, "Reckless as ever, and not one bit smarter, I can't believe I thought he'd be a good heir. He's lucky to be alive after being shot in the arm, stomach and leg and THEN burning away his Ki like he had unlimited amounts of it... IDIOT!"

"Umm... so what he did was bad?" Izanami ventured meekly.

"Bad?" Happosai shook his head once again, "Back in Nerima, he'd be doing more and still have enough to wrestle a bear. Now? Well, I can tell you he was one step away from killing himself. But he made it through, luck of the devil... honestly. Well, I better go, I still have something I have to do. I owe that kid a favor after all."

"You mean..." The elder Watanabe shot up from his chair.

"Yeah, finally found something that might work." Happosai said with a toothless grin, "but don't get your hopes up, might not work."

"Huh? What?" Izanami blinked in confusion.

"Don't worry about it Iza-chan."

***********************************************************************************

"... Huh?"

Izanami stared at the empty hospital bed. The sheets were not made up yet, so it was used recently, but there was no sign of Ranma. The nurses were no help either as they panicked after realizing one of their patients were gone. Izanami sighed as she walked out of the hospital. A chirpy ring tone reached her ear, signaling a call. Izanami looked down at her cellphone with a frown, "No caller ID... thats weird... Hello?"

"Watanabe-san, it looks like you're doing okay."

Izanami gasped, "Ranma! Where did you go!"

"I had to leave, Happosai dropped by and woke me up and I didn't want to stay in the hospital, so I checked myself out." Ranma replied over the phone, "By the way, sorry..."

"Sorry?"

"For leaving you with all the reporters."

Izanami looked ahead of her to find a hoard of reporters running towards her, "Ranma! Where are you!"

"It won't be so bad Watanabe-san, at least you're wearing something nice," Ranma said teasingly, "And you look REALLY good with that skirt, don't let Happosai see you wearing THAT!"

Izanami felt herself blush, the reporters are closing in and she found herself looking around her frantically for her guardian.

"And one more thing Izanami," Ranma's voice dropping slightly, as if he was blushing, "S-since I probably won't see you again anytime soon, I should probably thank you too..."

"What?" A bewildered Izanami replied as she turned her gaze upwards, towards the roof of the hospital to find a silhouette of a man talking on a cell phone.

"Fo-" Izanami cut off her cell phone and took a deep breath.

"IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY, DON'T SAY IT OVER THE PHONE!"

All the reporters stopped a meter away from the young women as she yelled towards the roof.

Her phone rang again, "What?"

"You're really going to embarrass yourself, but fine." Izanami blinked and turned back towards the roof.

"IZANAMI! THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME LIFE AGAIN! THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME MY HEART! THANK YOU!"

The young women blushed bright red as she watched Ranma jumped from the roof of the hospital, in the opposite direction of the reporters.

"RANMA! GET BACK HERE YOU JERK!"

"Umm... Miss Watanabe? May we have a word?"

Izanami turned back to the reporters, her face all red from embarrassment, "Yes?"

"What is your relationship with that man? Is he the man who glowed blue in the Shinjuku station incident? Do you know how he did that?"

Izanami held up her hand, and forced herself to calm down, "I'm sure you all have lots of questions. I'm not sure if I can answer all of them, but let me start to talking about a man named Saotome Ranma..."

* * *

God... I can't believe it... After ages of not wanting to write and focusing on school, then having to attend a funeral, which totally turned me off from EVERYTHING. I finally got back in my writing mood. I actually forgot where I was going with this story for a while and had to read what I wrote previously to try to remember. Well, good thing I remembered, somewhat. Well, despite all the good feelings of accomplishment of finishing this, I have to say I'm kinda disgusted about myself about the totally unplanned and unresearched work this is... ugh...

Firstly is the whole hostage situation, if I KNEW there was actually more than 200 different exits of the Shinjuku station, being the words most busiest transit station ever, I'd have located the whole plotline elsewhere, but what did I do? Noo, Shinjuku is REALLY busy! It'll make the whole situation THAT much more exciting!... bah... thats why you do research kids... especially if you're going to talk about a real life place.

Second, The whole Ranma power part... Not so much disgusted with myself, but more annoyed that I still couldn't figure out which way I like showing the whole scene, through the reporter's view or Izanami view, so I put both of them in. And even now, I STILL don't know which one I like better... So... yeah...

Lastly, I don't know, the ending feels weak... I've had comments on my endings being weak or anti-climatic and stuff... so maybe i'm just worrying too much...

But lets put all this self bashing aside... theres the Epilogue!

* * *

"You are THE worst friend EVER!"

Izanami groaned as she walked down the street of Shinjuku with her two friends Jun and Miki again, "I told you Jun, it's not LIKE that!"

Jun glared at her friend again, "Hmph, first you don't tell us about the hottie in your school, THEN you hide the fact that the ring the hottie had was just a memento, THEN you go behind our backs and grab the hottie!" Jun pulled up the newspaper headline showing a picture of a blushing Izanami with text above saying 'romance between guard and princess, Mysterious hero and the Police chiefs daughter!'

"That sounds more like a tabloid headline than a newspaper headline." Izanami groaned again, "I'm telling you! There's nothing between me and Ranma!"

"Ohh So it's RANMA now!"

"No! I mean YES! I mean." Izanami huffed and paused in their walk, "Look, it doesn't matter, 'cause Ranma said he'll be away for a long while, Dad said that he had a debt to repay or something in China."

"Hmph, that better be true." Jun huffed, "And you are paying for our coffee today!"

"JUN!"

"You two are making a scene." Miki said, stopping for two friends from bickering, "and I don't think the cafe will let you two continue to argue like that."

"Fine! But Iza-chan is buying today!"

"Fine!" Izanami pouted and walked into the store towards the counter, flanked by her two friends. Once again, the counter is empty except for a bell.

DING

"I'll be right there!" A masculine voice replied the bell.

Jun frowned, "That sounds like..."

"What can I get for you today?"

"Saotome-san?"

The three girls blinked, replied by Ranma's blink, "Oh hi girls."

"I thought you're going to china!"

"I thought you said he's gone!"

"I didn't know!"

"You liar!"

"Umm..."

Miki bowed apologetically, "sorry, those two have been at it since Jun found out you're going out with Izanami-san."

Ranma scratched the back of his head, "I'm going out with Watanabe-san? When did that happen?"

"See!" Izanami exclaimed

"You're still paying for coffee!"

"Fine!" Izanami grumbled before pointing at Ranma, "Now, I thought you're going on that trip! Why are you still here!"

Ranma grinned sheepishly, "A guy's gotta get cash to travel ya know?"

"TENDO! STOP FLIRTING!"

"Right... so what can I get you girls?"

Before they could order, Izanami's cell rang, interrupting her, "Hello... dad?... Whats wrong?... Slow down!... WHAT!... I'll be right there!"

The two girls gave Izanami a puzzled look, "Sorry, I gotta go! Mom's awake! She's awake again!"

Ranma gave gentle smile, "Go, I'll pay for the coffee. I get your dad to pay me back later."

Izanami's only reply is a wave as she ran out of the store.

* * *

And thats that... Comments? Suggestions for me to improve this? Donations 'cause I'm just that awesome? Flames to tell me how I suck for not writing and making false promises? Or even Flames telling me how I should get off my ass and write my other fics cuz they're just THAT much better than this one? Or better yet, offers of sins of the flesh if you're a hot girl! All accepted! Just use that nifty button down below!


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